Today I got an estimate for fixing my cheap Amazon-special 9000 BTU mini split that the proper prior resident installed.
Heating guy said that repairing the old one would cost $2-4K if he could find a new compressor for it, but nobody sells parts. A new high-quality 12000 BTU Mitsubishi unit with warranty and parts support would cost $7500 installed.
Meanwhile Home Depot is selling 12000 BTU mini splits for $500-$1000 (not including installation but I don’t think installation can cost more than about $1000)
What am I missing here? I would much rather have a quality unit with parts support and proper trained professionals installing it, but at this price differential that just seems untenable. Are air conditioners really unreliable cheap throwaway items now?
I’ll second the Daikin recommendation; after poor experiences with LG in the past, I’ve had Daikins in various properties and they’ve all been great. At home in Europe I have a Daikin 3-way hybrid split thingy (three interior units connected to one compressor) which works great, and my place in Thailand - which works hard in that climate - is a simple Daikin minisplit that’s not let me down yet.
The OP’s prices are nuts though. I’ve just bought three Daikin minis for a property under construction in Philippines (one 9000btu, two 13500btu) for a total of 2000 USD; similar prices in Europe. (That doesn’t include installation tbf.)